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Ammonia is converted to nitrites then nitrates. Nitrates are usually removed by water changes or other methods like algae scrubbers, nitrate pads, or other media. Live rock is the key to it all because it will breakdown nitrates and remove them from the tank.

+1 to what cliff said above on the water changes and media for the filters.

Do you have any idea why the nitrate level would be so high on such a new tank? The boys got it for their birthdays in July. It was cycled for 5 weeks. Then had the fox face rabbit fish added on the 19th of August. The eel was added on the 20th or 21st of september, the Picasso on the 20th or 21st of October the clown mid nov and the damsels end of Nov. The tank was professionally cleaned (70 euros a time) every 30 -35 days. I don't understand why the levels are so off.

I'm guessing the nitrates came from a combination of 4 different ways

1 - If your filter media is not cleaned enough, it adds nitrates
2 - Overfeeding your fish added more nitrates
3 - Not enough water changes added to it as you should be doing weekly water changes, not monthly
4 - Your live rock was not cured before adding it to the tank which most likely is leaching out nitrates as well

Once you have got the nitrate levels maintained at 5ppm or less, please let us know. I have a lot more suggestions for you, but it would be best if we took this one step at a time

Please keep us posted on your progress

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

Perfect er just cleened the tank tonight I will post the results tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by Cliff

I'm guessing the nitrates came from a combination of 4 different ways

1 - If your filter media is not cleaned enough, it adds nitrates
2 - Overfeeding your fish added more nitrates
3 - Not enough water changes added to it as you should be doing weekly water changes, not monthly
4 - Your live rock was not cured before adding it to the tank which most likely is leaching out nitrates as well

Once you have got the nitrate levels maintained at 5ppm or less, please let us know. I have a lot more suggestions for you, but it would be best if we took this one step at a time

Please keep us posted on your progress

Perfect we cleaned the tank tonight and will submit the results in the morning,

We did a full cleaning last night ( the first one we've done on our own. Yeah!!!!). Scrubbed everything, cleanned the skimmer, changed 3 pad in the filter (white, black and algee), and changed 40 liters of water. Fish seem alright this morning so I think we did it right. Stick test reads

NO3 - between 25 and 40
No2 - 0
CA - 400/500
kh 10d
ph 8.2

We'll try another water change on Saturday to see if we can get the NO3 down.

I would not change the filter pads anymore, just clean them in old tank water.

If you keep up on the water changes you should start seeing a drop in nitrates soon. Buck remember, your rocks are going to keep adding nitrates back into the water for a while so it will take some time to bring your water quality back in line

What is your salinity currently at ?

Judging by your cal and kh amounts, the salinity might be a little high depending on the quality of your salt. If you have not been testing your salinity yet, I would suggest getting a refectormeter and start. That can be a pretty important water parameter to keep a eye on as it also effects your kh, cal, mag, and pH levels

Glad to hear your planning to keep up on the water changes

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

I don't think my test shows the salinity of the water. The water we bought was premixed at the fish store - it's the same kind that the fish man uses when he normally changes the tank. When I go in tomorrow to buy more water, I will ask about getting a refectormeter.

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

Just an update. We've been keeping up with the water changes (did 2 20 liter changes during the week) and just finished full cleaning today - kids even helped with the cleaning which was great. Also bought another 700 grams (a little under 2 pounds) of living rock with some pretty yellow sponge on it when we picked up the water to clean the tank with. So there's a little more color in there now. The nitrates still aren't where we want them (looks like around 20 still). The fish man is suggesting adding in an angelfish - he said it was a sturdy kind (blue and white), or else trying another triggerfish. Cliff what's your opinion.

Your tank is not big enough for most triggers. The same would go for the full sized angles. Smaller angles may be OK for a time, but smaller fish are at risk of being seen as food for the eel once he gets closer to his full size.

You best bet would be one of the smaller butterfly fish like Sunset Butterflyfish (Chaetodon pelewensis). They are suited for 50 to 70 gallon tanks and are the fish that are most likely to be able to hold there own in your tank

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]